This weekend my family visited Suzhou, a short 25 minutes away on the fast train from Shanghai. We visited the canals, traditional shops and famous gardens. Take a look at the pictures below.

At my Chinese lesson on Friday....

One of the things that really strikes me about living in Shanghai is that there are so many extreme contrasts in so many aspects of life; there are freezing cold winters and the boiling hot summers, there are beautiful traditional shikumen housing in the alleyways of the French concession surrounded by gleaming skyscrapers, there is a great deal of poverty as well extreme wealth and often you see traditional customs against a backdrop of modernisation. The latter is what we saw this weekend in the new shiny IAPM mall in central Shanghai which is full of designer brand shops and swanky restaurants. Check out the beautiful Chinese traditional music and dress below.